The Return
by shigemoto
Summary: ON HIATUS: A Tenzo Yamato and Shizune story with other pairings intertwined. Please R&R, hoping to turn this into a longer story. Rated "M" just in case.
1. Chapter 1

Dirty with the dust, sweat and blood of the last mission, he hauled himself up the stairs to the apartment door. Exhausted, he leaned against the door frame for support and knocked hestitantly, unsure if she'd be awake atthis ungodly hour. Thesurprise of the door swinging opennearly knocked him off his unsteady feet. He fell inwards, caught by her arms.

"Tenz…" a barely audible whisper from her lips, cut short by his tight hold as he pulled her close. A frozen moment, the pair stood in the doorway holding each other. Resting his head on her shoulders, he inhaled the scents of her delicate perfume and freshly laundered bathrobe. He was finally home. 

Slowly, she pulled back, scanning his face and body for serious injuries."Are you hurt? Should we go to the hospital?"

Shaking his head no, Tenzo lifted a hand to her chin and kissed her deeply. He slipped his other hand in her bathrobe, resting it on her stomach. "Seems like we'll be going there soon enough," he said smiling. She grinned, happy to have her husband home before their first child was born.

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Decided on a lead female character and have made minor changes in the firstchapters to accomodate the change. Please read and review, comments welcome! 


	2. Chapter 2

She gently moved his hand from her large belly and held it tightly as she pulled her tired, travel-weary husband towards the bathroom. He stood with his arms crossed, leaning against the sink while his wife ran the bath. He couldn't help but chuckle, watching her delicately balance to lean down and reach the tub faucet. "I can here you laughing…" she muttered while twisting the stubborn knob, hot water sputtering out with a groan.

"Gomennasai, koibito." Tenzo grinned watching his wife ease herself up, never graceful, but always beautiful in his eyes. She turned towards him and returned his playful smile, knowing she couldn't even pretend to be mad. She started to undress him, unzipping his standard-issue vest. As she reached up to his hitai-ate, he grabbed her wrists and stole a kiss. Her arms slackened as she savored the softness of his mouth on hers. He gently parted her lips with his tongue before pulling back from the kiss, his eyes sparkling with mischief. Needing a moment to recover, she focused on the task at hand and began to gingerly pull his bloody, torn shirt over his head.

"I won't break," he grumbled, only pretending to gripe at his wife's tender ministrations.

Her eyes wander over his nake torso, taking in the evidence of past battles "So many scars…" she worriedly thought, but calmly asked "Did Sakura heal you already?"

"Yeah -- out in the field. Only some minor cuts really. Kakshi overused his Sharingan and Sakura was in a rush to get back. She carried him to the hospital as soon as we got through the gates."

His wife couldn't hold back and laughed at the thought of the infamous Copy Ninja being carried through the city gates by his petite medic-nin fiancée. "Good thing it's late at night. Poor Sakura though. It worries her so much when he over does it."

Tenzo stiffened at the thought of his senpai's sometimes reckless use of chakra. She felt the change in his posture as he explained, "Kakashi is a stubborn man but one of our best shinobi, you know that. He saved the mission once again." Pausing in thought to consider the consequences of Kakashi's actions, "Though, he'll be getting a rough lecture from Sakura and Tsunade as soon as he's conscious."

Sighing, she gathered his clothes from the floor, tossing everything into the laundry hamper. She heard the grinding noise of the old plumbing as he turned the knobs. "Are you gonna bathe in your boxers?" she questioned jokingly.

"Aren't you going to help me?"

"Oi, get in the water before it gets cold, you silly man."

"Alright…alright…" Tenzo dropped his boxers to the floor and stepped into the steaming bath, cringing at the first touch of heat on his cold skin.

A tinge of blush rose in her cheeks as she caught a glimpse of her husband's naked form in the mirror. It had been a _long_ mission.

Wistfully remembering the times when both of them could fit in the bath, she joined him by sitting on the corner of the tub. Laying her hands on his shoulders, she gently massaged his strained muscles. Tenzo grunted as the tension released, "I've missed that," he whispered. He pulled her hand to his lips and tenderly kissed the back of her hand, "I missed you."


	3. Chapter 3

"I missed you too," she murmured, bending down to kiss his forehead.

Keeping her hand clutched in his, he leaned back to rest against her leg, enjoying the soothing caresses of his wife's hand in his hair. She gazed down lovingly, gently brushing droplets of water from his eyes. The intimate moment was suddenly disrupted with an unexpected kick from the unborn child.

"Ooph, that very nearly hurt." Tenzo chuckled, sitting upright with the realization that his wife's lap could be a dangerous territory.

"Now you know what I've been dealing with these past few months" she sighed. Her patience for pregnancy was wearing thin.

"So we have a lil' taijutsu expert on our hands then," he said with a smile. She laughed, but another sudden movement in the womb made her grunt in discomfort. The sound immediately made Tenzo turn around to look at his wife. Exhaustion and impatience were evident on her face, although her hand tenderly massaged her midsection. 

"Shiz…I'm so sorry you were alone…" he began.

Shizune immediately shushed him."Ssh, I was hardly ever alone, love. Tsunade wouldn't allow it. She had someone here everyday to ensure that I kept to her prescription of bedrest." She smiled and began soaping up her husband's back.

"Tsunade didn't keep you company herself?" Tenzo joked knowing the unlikely chance of that situation. The Godaime Hokage must have been suffering hugely without her primary assistant and adopted daughter. Taking the soapy cloth from her hands, he asked, "So with you at home and Sakura on our mission, does this mean Hokage-sama filed her own paperwork?" 

Shizune laughed, earning another internal kick. Quickly calming herself with a deep breath, she explained: "Kotetsu and Izumo have been on permanent overtime shifts since I went on maternity leave." Tenzo nodded in repsonse, rinsing off in the now lukewarm water. His wife added,"I really owe those boys a nice dinner." 

"Not before me!" Tenzo exclaimed in mock anger, teasing his wife.

"Oh? Is that what you missed most? My home cooking?" She replied with a playful smile. 

"Only Naruto is happy with cup ramen for 8 weeks." Tenzo stood up to turn on the shower, giving Shizune a delightfully close view of his well-sculpted rear. She bit her lip at the sight and a series of passionate memories flashed in her mind. She slowly raised herself off the tub edge intending to leave the bathroom and honor her mentor's strict medical orders of rest and relaxation.

"Care to join me?" Tenzo asked in hushed growl. She paused in the doorway, but did not bother to respond. Instead, she let the robe drop to the floor and slipped her silken nightgown from her body. A sharp intake of breath from Tenzo made her glance over her shoulders to catch the passionate, hungry look on her husband's face. Taking his outstretched hand, she stepped out of the puddle of clothes, over the tub rail and into her husband's embrace.


End file.
